Archaeological Investigations Northwest
Archaeological Investigations Northwest is a Portland-based cultural resource management consulting firm founded in 1989 that provides archaeological, architectural history, and regulatory compliance services to federal, state, local, and private clients throughout the Pacific Northwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Archaeological Investigations Northwest does
Archaeological Investigations Northwest, Inc. (AINW) is a privately held cultural resource management (CRM) consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, founded in June 1989 by Jo Reese, M.A., R.P.A., and John L. Fagan, Ph.D., R.P.A., who remain co-owners. The firm provides archaeological surveys, historic resource documentation, regulatory compliance studies, Native American coordination, architectural history, historical research, and ethnographic studies to federal, state, and local government agencies and private sector clients throughout the Pacific Northwest (primarily Oregon and Washington, with some projects in California and Nevada). AINW specializes in navigating Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, NEPA, Section 4(f), and state and local cultural resource permitting requirements, and the firm claims to operate with more capacity than any other CRM firm in the region.
AINW's service portfolio includes a dedicated Graphics/GIS Department using ESRI ArcGIS Suite, CorelDraw, AutoCAD LT, LIDAR imaging, and Trimble GPS/Total Station equipment for spatially accurate maps and analysis. Differentiated specialized capabilities include the Blood Residue Analysis Laboratory, established in 1990, which uses cross-over immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) to test stone tool artifacts and has analyzed material from 30+ US states and internationally, and Obsidian Hydration Dating Analysis, which applies proprietary techniques developed by physicist/archaeologist Alexander Rogers. The firm also offers Lithic Technology Services — leveraging over 100 years of combined senior staff experience — and Lithic Technology Workshops, a paid training program launched in 2017 for CRM professionals, Tribes, and university students.
The firm operates a project-based professional services model, billing clients on hourly or project-fee terms for Section 106 compliance, NEPA documentation, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, and related regulatory work. Marketing is minimal: client acquisition is driven by professional reputation, regulatory expertise, membership in the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) and the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), and referrals within government contracting channels. AINW was certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) in 2025. The firm employs approximately 35 staff, including 6 Ph.D. archaeologists, 15 M.A.-level archaeologists, and 16 Registered Professional Archaeologists, all senior personnel meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards.
Archaeological Investigations Northwest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Archaeological Investigations Northwest
- Legal name
- Archaeological Investigations Northwest, Inc.
- Website
- https://ainw.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Archaeological Investigations Northwest is a Portland-based cultural resource management consulting firm founded in 1989 that provides archaeological, architectural history, and regulatory compliance services to federal, state, local, and private clients throughout the Pacific Northwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Archaeological Investigations Northwest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Resource Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EHS Management Systems & ISO Consulting (ISO 14001/45001) (BPAHAJAF)
Keywords
Where Archaeological Investigations Northwest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Archaeological Investigations Northwest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cultural Resource Management Consulting Services: Project-based consulting fees for archaeological surveys, historic resource documentation, regulatory compliance documentation, and cultural resource studies for federal, state, local, and private sector clients. Revenue generated through Section 106 compliance projects, NEPA documentation, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Impact Statements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Supervising Archaeologist / Assistant Project Manager |
| Other | Monthly | Staff Archaeologist |
| Other | Monthly | Archaeological Assistant |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Archaeological Investigations Northwest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AINW is a cultural resource management consulting firm delivering archaeological surveys, historic resource documentation, regulatory compliance studies (Section 106 NHPA, NEPA, Section 4(f)), and specialized laboratory analyses (blood residue, obsidian hydration, lithic technology, GIS) to federal, state, local, and private sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. The company combines field archaeology, architectural history, historical research, and Native American coordination with in-house laboratory and GIS capabilities.
Product overview
Archaeological Investigations Northwest (AINW) provides comprehensive cultural resource management consulting services to public and private sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1989, the company offers an integrated service portfolio centered on archaeological surveys and excavation, architectural history, and historical research. Core services include Cultural Resource Studies, Archaeological Services, Architectural History and Historical Services, and Historical Research. AINW also operates specialized laboratory services including the Blood Residue Analysis Laboratory (established 1990) and Obsidian Hydration Dating Analysis. A dedicated Graphics/GIS Department provides mapping and spatial analysis using industry-standard tools. The company further extends its expertise through Lithic Technology Services and training via Lithic Technology Workshops taught by expert instructors. The service offering is unified under a consulting model rather than a software product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cultural Resource Studies Comprehensive cultural resource consulting including inventories, overviews, management plans, Native American coordination, and compliance documentation such as Memoranda of Agreements and Programmatic Agreements for government and private clients.
- Archaeological Services Full-service archaeology including surveys, inventories, reconnaissance, site testing and evaluation, data recovery excavations, site treatment plans, monitoring plans, construction monitoring, emergency archaeology, human osteology, faunal analysis, laboratory processing, and underwater archaeology.
- Blood Residue Analysis Laboratory In-house laboratory that analyzes surface residues extracted from stone tools and artifacts using cross-over immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) to detect animal blood residues, with 30-day turnaround and detailed reporting for clients across the U.S. and internationally.
- Graphics/GIS Department Geographic Information Systems and graphics services producing site maps, plot plans, stratigraphic profiles, artifact photos, historic photos, and GIS spatial analysis using ESRI ArcGIS Suite, CorelDraw Suite, AutoCAD LT, LIDAR and aerial imaging, and Trimble GPS/TDS data.
- Architectural History and Historical Services Historic resources surveys, NRHP eligibility determinations, findings of effects documentation, mitigation documentation, HABS/HAER documentation, large format photography, and federal tax incentive program guidance for income-producing historic buildings.
- Historical Research Historic contexts development and archival records review services to guide clients through documentation, assessment, and evaluation of historical resources.
- Lithic Technology Services Stone tool and debitage analysis services including identification of lithic raw materials, manufacturing techniques, stages of reduction, tool use-wear, and museum-quality artifact replication for interpretation.
- Obsidian Hydration Dating Analysis Age estimate analyses for obsidian artifacts from Oregon and southwestern Washington using optical measurements of hydration rims in conjunction with meteorological data and source-specific hydration rates.
- Lithic Technology Workshops Custom lithic technology workshops for agencies, Tribes, CRM companies, and organizations covering core reduction, biface technologies, flake tool technologies, ground stone technologies, and lithic technological analysis, taught by expert instructors with hands-on flintknapping and analytical training.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 3,000 cultural resource projects completed in over 30 years of operation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Archaeological Investigations Northwest
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Archaeological Investigations Northwest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Archaeological Investigations Northwest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Archaeological Investigations Northwest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SWCA Environmental Consultants: One of the largest U.S. employee-owned cultural and natural resource consulting firms, with deep archaeology, architectural history, NEPA, and Section 106 practices across the West. Closest direct competitor to AINW in CRM scope, scale ambition, and regional footprint.
- Environmental Science Associates (ESA): Mid-size environmental and cultural resources consulting firm serving California and the Pacific Coast with biological, regulatory, and CRM services. Comparable service mix to AINW with overlapping Section 106 and NEPA capabilities, but larger and California-anchored.
Broad incumbents
- Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a large environmental and cultural resources practice serving federal and infrastructure clients. Provides overlapping CRM services as part of a broader water, energy, and infrastructure portfolio—a key competitor on prime infrastructure contracts.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive U.S. environmental and cultural resources capabilities supporting NEPA, Section 106, and large transportation/energy clients. Frequently primes engagements on which AINW would serve as a CRM subconsultant.
- ICF International: Public-sector consulting firm with a sizable environment, compliance, and infrastructure practice that performs cultural resource support for federal agencies. Competes for the same Section 106/NEPA contracts that AINW pursues in the Pacific Northwest.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm offering cultural resource services through its environmental practice. Competes at the regional level for Pacific Northwest infrastructure CRM work, typically as prime.
- TRC Companies: U.S. engineering and environmental consulting firm with cultural resource management services across infrastructure and energy projects. Competes with AINW on regulated infrastructure cultural resource studies, generally at a larger project scale.
- WSP: Global professional services firm (including legacy Golder Associates and Wood E&I) with environmental and cultural resource offerings serving infrastructure and energy clients. Relevant peer on large PNW infrastructure pursuits as a prime or subconsultant rival.
- HDR: Engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with cultural resource and NEPA capabilities serving transportation, water, and federal clients. Competes with AINW on Pacific Northwest infrastructure projects as both prime and as a subconsultant.
Others
- American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA): Trade association of U.S. cultural resource management firms of which AINW is a member. Industry body shaping CRM standards, federal contracting advocacy, and peer visibility—useful ecosystem reference rather than a commercial competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Archaeological Investigations Northwest social profiles
Digital presenceArchaeological Investigations Northwest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Archaeological Investigations Northwest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Archaeological Investigations Northwest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Archaeological Investigations Northwest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Archaeological Investigations Northwest
What does Archaeological Investigations Northwest do?
AINW is a cultural resource management consulting firm delivering archaeological surveys, historic resource documentation, regulatory compliance studies (Section 106 NHPA, NEPA, Section 4(f)), and specialized laboratory analyses (blood residue, obsidian hydration, lithic technology, GIS) to federal, state, local, and private sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. The company combines field archaeology, architectural history, historical research, and Native American coordination with in-house laboratory and GIS capabilities.
Is Archaeological Investigations Northwest a public or private company?
Archaeological Investigations Northwest is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Archaeological Investigations Northwest founded?
Archaeological Investigations Northwest was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Archaeological Investigations Northwest based?
Archaeological Investigations Northwest is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Archaeological Investigations Northwest make money?
One revenue line is on record: cultural Resource Management Consulting Services.
Who are Archaeological Investigations Northwest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SWCA Environmental Consultants and Environmental Science Associates (ESA). Broad incumbents are Tetra Tech, AECOM, ICF International, Stantec, TRC Companies, WSP and HDR. American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) is listed as an others.
Does Archaeological Investigations Northwest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Archaeological Investigations Northwest.
What industry is Archaeological Investigations Northwest in?
Archaeological Investigations Northwest's product category is Cultural Resource Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAJAF, EHS Management Systems & ISO Consulting (ISO 14001/45001). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8711.